


Everybody Loves Reyga

by moon_moth



Series: Reyga Lives AU [1]
Category: Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Star Trek: The Next Generation
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Awkward Flirting, Character Death Fix, Denial, Ferengi, Gen, Jealousy, Julian 'Heart Eyes Motherfucker' Bashir, Lobe Envy, Quark is a little shit, Ridiculous, Takes place either late in S1 or early in S2 of DS9
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-10-14
Updated: 2016-10-14
Packaged: 2018-08-22 10:09:45
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,285
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8282116
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/moon_moth/pseuds/moon_moth
Summary: A hotshot Ferengi scientist arrives on Deep Space Nine, and quickly becomes the talk of the station.





	

"He accepted my invitation!!"

Julian, with eyes like saucers, leaned forward so fast that he almost sent himself sailing across the table toward Jadzia.

"You're kidding!"

She beamed triumphantly.

"Nope. He's really coming."

"I can't believe it! I read an interview with him a while back; he mentioned there was a steady stream of invitations to scientific institutions pouring in from all over the galaxy- how many incredible offers must he have turned down in favor of this one??"

"Well, we do have the wormhole. That's a pretty big draw."

"Still. I remember hearing some very prestigious names being thrown around, and they all wanted him desperately. He's been in high demand ever since his breakthrough with the metaphasic shield."

"I'll admit, the most I expected was for him to politely decline. But he seemed thrilled to take the offer! I guess he's like you, hearing the call of the frontier."

"He did strike me as that kind of person," said Julian with a big, bright, dorky smile.

"Well he's obviously very brave. That attempt on his life never even slowed him down."

"Who's that?" asked Quark, who had decided to bring them their orders himself, after listening to their conversation from behind the bar for the past several minutes and growing increasingly nosy after they'd failed to mention a name.

"Dr. Reyga," said Jadzia. It didn't ring a bell. "Aren't you excited?"

"Why should I be?"

She rolled her eyes at him.

"Oh, of course, I forgot who I was talking to. A Good Ferengi has little use for scientific advancement. Well, _I'm_ excited. And so is Julian. Aren't you, Julian?"

"Am I! When does he arrive?"

"He should be here early next week."

They launched back into their conversation, which Quark decided was boring after all, and though he heard another mention or two of this Dr. Reyga, he more or less forgot about the whole thing. Days passed one after the other in a blur of normalcy. The weekend arrived in a roar of laughter, conversation, clinking glasses, and the sound of the dabo wheel.

It was crowded, and busy, but crowded and busy was where Quark (and his profits) thrived. He had his hands full, true, but he was well on top of things. He was in constant motion, handling the bottles and glassware with precision and finesse. But he nearly let Morn's glass run over when he saw a stranger walk in off the promenade.

It was hard not to take notice of him, and Quark wasn't alone. He was getting stares and double-takes from every one of the Ferengi waiters. One younger guy nearly dropped a tray (good thing for him he caught himself).

Quark didn't recognize him, but he could tell he was someone important. He dressed somewhat underwhelmingly; he wasn't even wearing tails. Maybe it was some sort of ploy, to be less ostentatious, and therefore less conspicuous? Fat lot of good it was doing him. He was slight- almost unsettlingly thin- and narrow shouldered, but that only served to throw his best assets into sharper focus. He hadn't seen such strong lobes since the Nagus's last visit. And, in fact, not for a long time before, either.

He busied himself when he realized they were making eye contact, but he could feel the stranger's eyes on him as he swaggered over to the bar. It was even worse up close; he was boyishly handsome, and had an enviably jagged, uneven smile that positively glowed.

A Klingon warrior, a Cardassian gul, a Nausicaan thug- all were intimidating, in a very general and overtly threatening way. But this slender, cheerful, good-looking man- this shining jewel of Ferengi manhood- was intimidating on a very subtle, personal level.

He pressed up to the bar and waited, still smiling, for Quark's attention.

"Welcome to Quark's," he said in his most warm and welcoming tone, "what can I do for you tonight?"

"Actually, I'm looking for someone. My transport arrived ahead of schedule, so I'm afraid she isn't quite expecting me yet... But I'm anxious to meet her, and I was told she'd be here. Do you happen to know a Lt. Dax?"

It really was unfair; even his voice was charming. Who was he? How was he connected to Jadzia? Before knowing even what business he was in, Quark was resolved to make a connection of his own with this man.

"Jadzia? Of course! She's a _dear_ friend of mine. Let's see. She took Major Kira upstairs to the holosuites; they've been gone for about forty five minutes. They paid for an hour. Can I get you a drink in the meantime?"

He watched the handsome stranger consider it, with a hand rubbing his chin, and then he nodded.

"I suppose it couldn't hurt. After all, I knew I was in for an informal introduction when I was directed to a bar. And it's been ages since I've had a decent Starduster."

"Oh, you'll get much more than 'decent' here, I mix the best Starduster this side of the galaxy," he bragged as he poured rosy liquor into a waiting glass with a flourish. There were several ingredients in a Starduster, and the next two he poured in at once- but not before giving them both a twirl. A little judicious showing off never hurt anyone. "Besides, Jadzia certainly won't mind an informal introduction."

"Excellent."

He finished mixing the Starduster and slid the glass across the bar. To his utter horror, as he did, he found himself about to say, 'this one's on the house.' What in the name of the Divine Treasury had possessed him-?! Were the Humans corrupting him so swiftly? That was it; that had to be it. No other reason. Dratted Humans. He caught himself before he said anything, but he'd still opened his mouth to speak, so he had to say something-

"What luck! You're just in time for happy hour."

That was almost as bad, but no use crying over spilled Starduster.

"Bu-u-ut Brother," came the voice of poor timing from behind him, "happy hour doesn't start until-"

Quark elbowed his baby brother discreetly.

"Happy hour starts when I _say_ it does," he said, flashing the stranger a grin, which was returned unmercifully, along with a stare over the rim of the glass. He took an unhurried sip of his drink before setting it down again.

"... You're the proprietor?"

"That's me."

The smile that bloomed on the stranger's face then looked so sincerely delighted and ingratiated that Quark felt a bit weak in the knees.

"Well, Quark, I'm very pleased to meet you."

Confident, decisive, adaptable, charismatic- he was turning out to be everything a good Ferengi businessman should be. So what if he dressed like one of Rom's old economics tutors? Quark found himself giggling.

"The pleasure is all mine, ...?"

He trailed off, fishing for a name, but the stranger wasn't the one to supply it; Jadzia was. He was so preoccupied he had completely missed her and Kira having left the holosuites.

"Dr. Reyga!"

Quark was confused for a split second, until the stranger turned and responded to the name. Doctor...? Realization crept in; he was dressed like an academic because he _was_ one. This was no successful businessman- this was the scientist she and Dr. Bashir had been raving about.

"Lt. Dax! How good to finally meet in person! I hope this isn't a bad time; your friend Quark assured me you wouldn't mind meeting in such a casual atmosphere."

"Not at all," she said happily, reaching out for a handshake. "This is a wonderful surprise! We've been very excited for your arrival."

"So have I! I'm very happy to be here on Deep Space 9. And this must be Major Kira," he said, turning to her with a studiously nonthreatening smile and reaching out very politely to clasp her hand.

"That's right," she said with a little nod. "I'm the Bajoran liason officer on this station."

"It's good to meet you, Major. I understand the wormhole has a deep spiritual significance for your people?"

"Oh yes, very much so."

"Well I must say, it's very uplifting to see Bajor alive with new opportunities. Such a meaningful discovery, in terms of both culture and scientific exploration, must be quite a breath of fresh air."

"Thank you Doctor," she said with the kind of effortlessly lovely smile she never gave to Quark, "it certainly is."

"I'm glad to hear it."

"So, Doctor-" said Jadzia, "why don't we find a table?"

"Ah yes, let's do."

"You know," she began as she led him away, "our medical doctor is a great admirer of yours. He was just thrilled when I broke the news that you'd be coming here..."

Quark could've followed their conversation, but instead he just watched them go, feeling personally let down. He continued serving drinks with his usual flair, but the sparkle was gone from his eye. His mood was ruined.

"He's a _scientist_ ," Quark grumbled to Rom, but with an eye on Reyga's table. Doctor Bashir had just joined them, and was already gushing shamelessly.

"I know."

"Can you believe that? What a waste."

"... How is it a waste? I don't understand."

Quark looked back at his brother for just long enough to give him a disapproving look.

"Of course you don't. Look at him! You can _tell_ he's got the lobes. And what does he do? He wastes his time on academia."

"But, Brother- I heard he created a shield that lets you fly into a star!"

" _So?_ Who wants to fly into a star? What's inside a star that people are so anxious to get at? Is there some kind of shortage of burning plasma??"

Rom knew his brother was missing the point, but either didn't care to argue or wasn't sure where to begin, so he didn't bother saying anything.

"Look at everybody, fawning all over him."

Quark nodded over at the table and Rom, agreeably, turned to look.

"Dr. Bashir is blushing," he observed.

"You can see that from h-...? Oh who cares. Get back to work!"

"Yes, Brother," said Rom with infinite patience.

Quark endured the ridiculous spectacle for the rest of the evening, but things only got worse from there. He didn't reappear in the bar, and he wasn't seen much out and about, but chatter about him was everywhere. All the Starfleet people had something to say about how courageous and innovative he was, how he had revolutionized the field of... something morphology, how exciting the field test conducted from the Enterprise must've been. The Bajorans were charmed by him too- calling him 'courteous' and 'pleasant' and gossipping about how he'd been seen at the shrine, talking to a Vedek. Wasn't it inspiring, they said, for a scientist- and an alien scientist, at that- to have such a sincere and respectful interest in their religious beliefs? And so, though Quark hadn't seen a trace of him since he'd first appeared, his presence was so overwhelming that he was beginning to feel suffocated.

"Reyga, Regya, Reyga! It's all I hear, all day! No one will shut up about him," Quark complained louder than was necessary, "it's intolerable."

"Oh, you're exaggerating, as usual," said Garak as he pawed through bolts of fabric, selecting a richly patterned velvet and laying it out on the table. "How about this one?"

"It's too red."

"You look good in red."

Quark paused to consider, but frowned.

"You've been hawking that to everybody; I've seen three dresses made out of it this week. Quit trying to flatter me."

Garak's brow lifted very high at this.

"But you _love_ being flattered! You really are out of sorts, aren't you? For what it's worth, you truly _do_ look good in red; you should wear it more often. But if you don't like that one, how about this?"

He pulled down a shimmering brocade, alive with gold, magenta, and bright blues.

"It'll bring out your eyes," said Garak in a matter-of-fact tone that went a long way towards winning Quark over.

"Hmm-mm-mm..."

He inspected it closely, running his fingers over it, and was about to give it the go-ahead when something familiar caught his eye. An article of clothing he'd seen before.

"He's been in here."

"Who do you mean? Lots of people have been in here."

"Don't do that. You know who I mean."

"Dr. Reyga. Yes, he has. He needed a few things taken in."

"Well?"

"Well what?"

"Well what did you think of him?!"

"Quark, really."

"No, let's hear it. What kind of impression did he make?"

"He was delightful, if you _must_ know."

"So now it's you too, huh?"

"You're the one who brought him up."

Quark made a disgusted noise.

"I can't listen to this," he said, and began storming out.

"Are you taking the blue one?"

His face scrunched up in a pout.

"Yes," he replied without turning around, and resumed storming out onto the promenade, muttering just loud enough so that the people he passed by would hear him indistinctly. He huffed and puffed and stomped and made a miniature scene, which made him feel the slightest bit better, but he was still in a mood by the time he got back to the bar.

"Quark!" called the enchanting voice of Jadzia Dax from a table near the back, as she rose and practically danced over, "Where've you been?! I've been waiting for you!"

He perked up a bit at that.

"Well, I'm here now," he said. "What is it?"

"I wanted to talk to you about our weekly Tongo game."

"Yes?"

She leaned across the bar, smiling at him.

"I invited Reyga to play with us!"

**Author's Note:**

> What were Kira and Jadzia doing in that holosuite for fifty-odd minutes??? You decide.


End file.
